five94 in upper montclair

[kimmyb72]

it's on valley road, byo. interested to hear details from anyone who has had dinner there. thanks

[Casey]

Is it even open? I drive by every day and it looks dark, and I walked by about two weeks ago and didn't see a menu or any hours posted....

Casey

[Rosie]

When I spoke to the owner a month ago it was going to open in a few days and he told me I could post the info on Table Hopping.

[Rosie]

They are open and very busy--noisy too! Be sure to make a reservation as the kitchen is bigger than the dining room which has about 38 seats. There is dining outside weather permitting.

Five94 Trattoria, 594 Valley Rd, Montclair

373-744-4120

BYO

Our table for two was very small and uncomfortable. A complimentary dish of tomato sauce and herbed goat cheese with a piece of frico was brought to the table when we sat down. Loved it. The bread was fair and considering that Gina’s, an excellent bakery, is in Montclair, this is inexcusable. We shared an appetzer of sautéed broccoi rabe with hot cherry peppers. The rabe was undercooked. An entrée of scallops with white beans were fair. Lowell felt it was missing something—perhaps more seasoning and a vegetable would have completed this dish. Also the scallops appeared to be cut in half to create an appearance of more scallops on the plate. In other words they were thin. Eggplant parm was fine but needed more cheese between the slices. There is an open kitchen and the smell from fish cooking was so overwhelming and fishy that we bypassed coffee and dessert.

$55 with tax and tip. If you dine here be sure to let us know your opinion. Would probably give this place another shot in 3-6 months.

[kimmyb72]

rosie, what is frico? you said it was on the complimentary appetizer. i never heard of it. thanks

[Rosie]

Fried parm cheese that is similar to a cheese wafer.

[jlevy]

Yup, had dinner there twice last week. It's much better than your average NJ "red" joint. I had two of their appetizer sizes of pasta (eggplant parmigiana and their "grandmas' eggs" and it was lots of food. Both were interesting but hardly fantastic. Went back a couple of nights later and had the poached salmon -- heaven!! Just heaven!!

Both nights the service was well-intentioned but veeeery slow! AND, keep in mind, on these warm, sticky nights, they keep the big front picture "window" open which means no air conditioning. Kinda too warm for me but ...

I live in Montclair so I'll be back. If I had to travel far, I probably wouldn't!

[Rosie]

Welcome to eGullet jlevy. If you live in Montclair I can recommend Fascino, Osteria Giotto, Greek Delights, Il Forno, Corso 98 and Epernay which I feel are far superior to Five94. My opinion!!!

[jlevy]

Rosie:

I agree with all your Montclair recommendations except I seem to be the only one who doesn't like Fascino. Went once and was very disappointed -- also felt like I was being rushed out of there by an anxious waiter trying to re-use the table. Have been to Giotto twice in the past month and it's so much nicer -- great food too! But you MUST make a reservation -- it's a mob-scene even on a Tuesday night!

[Rosie]

Welcome to eGullet jlevy and keep your reports coming.

[emilymarie]

I have yet to visit five94, though it's minutes from my house. Had a good, though expensive, meal at Epernay. Would I post my thoughts on my meal to a new thread? I'm sure everyone's already been there, but I wanted to add my two cents...

[tommy]

I have yet to visit five94, though it's minutes from my house. Had a good, though expensive, meal at Epernay. Would I post my thoughts on my meal to a new thread? I'm sure everyone's already been there, but I wanted to add my two cents...

you can certainly post your comments here.

[bill70]

Does any one know the new restaurant in upper montclair on valley road.

I think its called alan@ something- wasn't this the old evergreen

[emilymarie]

Am interested to know if anyone has gone back in the past month?

Edited August 25, 2004 by Rosie (log)

[ghostrider]

We looked in on this place while strolling off our dinner at nearby Royal India. I liked the look of it, but was annoyed that they didn't have a menu posted. (They were closed at that point in the evening so I couldn't ask.)

The Star Ledger critic seems to like it - Star Ledger Review - but I don't know how reliable he or she is.

[tommy]

so the name is alan@five94.

that's silly.

[emilymarie]

Well, while we're talking about silly restaurant names, may I remind you of Cafe Eclectic? To me, that takes the cake.

[ghostrider]

Then there's Cafe Cafe right here in my town.....